Was Joe Biden replaced by a clone? Donald Trump’s bizarre conspiracy theory explained

US President Donald Trump has come up with a new conspiracy theory about his predecessor, Joe Biden.

The strange claim? That Joe Biden was “executed in 2020” and swapped with a robotic clone.

The false post was first made by another user on Truth Social. Trump then reposted it.

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This comes just a month after Biden revealed he had prostate cancer , which had spread to his bones.

In this explainer, we look at Trump’s bizarre claim, how people reacted to it, and where Biden is today.

Let’s take a look:

Biden was ’executed in 2020’: Trump’s wild conspiracy theory

Donald Trump has shared a wild new theory about Joe Biden - that the former US President was executed in 2020 and replaced by a group of “soulless, mindless” clones.

Trump did not say anything about the strange conspiracy theory directly, but reposted a message on Truth Social from a lesser-known user named llijh.

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Trump just reposted this on Truth Social.

There is no Joe Biden.

Biden was executed and replaced with clones.

It's confirmed. pic.twitter.com/Tl7fkMHcof

— Kab (@Kabamur_Taygeta) June 1, 2025

“There is no #JoeBiden – executed in 2020. #Biden clones doubles & robotic engineered soulless mindless entities are what you see. >#Democrats dont know the difference,” it read.

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It is not known why Trump chose to share it. However, he often uses social media to target critics with controversial content.

Trump and Biden last met face-to-face about five months ago during Inauguration Day. They also appeared together on debate stages in both 2020 and 2024.

Trump has previously raised doubts about whether Biden is making key decisions himself. He pointed to Biden’s use of an autopen for signing important documents, something now being looked into by the House Oversight Committee.

Speaking during an Oval Office event alongside Elon Musk, the US President said, “I think the autopen is going to become one of the great scandals of all time”.

“He’s been a sort of a moderate person over his life, and a smart person, but somewhat vicious person, I will say, if you feel sorry for him, don’t feel so sorry because he’s vicious.”

The post Trump reshared comes after Biden’s team revealed he has prostate cancer. His office said the cancer was aggressive but could still be treated.

The diagnosis has sparked questions about whether the illness was detected late or kept quiet, and whether it might explain concerns over his performance at the June presidential debate against Trump.

What’s the truth behind the claims?

There is no reliable proof to back any part of this theory.

Joe Biden has appeared in several live events, taken part in unscripted press briefings, and held direct talks with world leaders.

A report by The New York Times found that during Trump’s first term as president, he often made false or misleading claims.

According to the report, Trump made 30,573 such remarks, an average of 21 each day, and frequently pushed conspiracy theories in the run-up to the 2024 election.

An analysis by the NYT of Trump’s thousands of social media posts and shares over six months in 2024 found that at least 330 of them made false claims about secret plots against him or the American public, along with specific names of those he blamed.

These included claims that the FBI had tried to have him killed and that government officials were behind the January 6 Capitol attack.

How did people react to the claim?

Trump’s supporters quickly backed the post, with some sharing meme comparisons of Biden, claiming “these are not the same people.”

Some users pointed to changes in Biden’s earlobes, claiming they looked unattached before 2020 but now appear attached.

Another person even suggested that Biden was given a “funeral cannon salute at Arlington” on Inauguration Day, saying it had been shown on television.

Far-right activist and commentator Laura Loomer posted on X: “Trump just reposted this on Truth. ‘There is no Joe Biden’,” adding a laughing emoji.

Critics of Trump called the repost “concerning”.

One user wrote on X, “the funny thing about ‘biden has been replaced by a clone’ is like… ok, who did that, why, and how do we know they didn’t replace trump with a clone too.”

Notably, Trump’s wife, Melania, has also faced similar claims in the past.

During his first term, some alleged that a body double had replaced her. The White House dismissed those claims at the time, calling them a “non-story.”